The PSBSC Open Day in Plockton last Saturday saw a good turnout of both locals and tourists despite the poor weather start to the day. In between the early showers, visitors were keen to see the RS dinghies brought up to Plockton by JP Watersports as part of a Scottish promotional tour, and in spite of the strong winds, several PSBSC members got treated to some fast, exciting sailing.
Congratulations to Colleen Gollan, for being brave and skillful enough to put on a composed demonstration of single handed sailing in the strongest winds (force 7) seen in Plockton for many weeks. Whilst others were nervously watching from the pontoon, Colleen confidently stepped into a brand new RS Q'ba and instantly and brilliantly harnassed the wild weather - really impressing the visiting James from JP Watersports - the sole agent for RS boats in Scotland. Capsizes were quickly dealt with, without help of the safety boat and after coming ashore for lunch she was keen for another blast in two-man RS Feva. Other junior sailors with RYA level 3, will hopefully have an extended opportunity to try out the RS Feva in June, when PSBSC borrows a test boat from JP Watersports for a few weeks.
Stand-by safety was never going to be an issue with RNLI Portree and RNLI Kyle in attendance, inviting visitors to go aboard and have a personal tour of these impressive boats. But for anyone wanting a slightly slower pace in the water, the Skye and Lochalsh Kayaking Club came along to give people an opportunity to try out their sport for the first time, with basic tuition being given. Also down at the pontoons was Caley Marina who had brought three motorboats and a mobile chandlery shop all the way from their shop in Inverness.
Away from the water, there was more family fun with bouncy castles, face-painting, displays from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, the RNLI and the Plockton Horticultural Society too. The tearoom was packed throughout the day, raising valuable funds for the Plockton Senior Citizens Fund.
By midday, the sun had appeared, just in time for the barbecue and bar being run by the PSBSC which was kept busy until the end of the afternoon.
Visitors were treated to the extraordinary talents of young Seumas Boyle, a first year student at Plockton High School, who played the bagpipes throughout the day, with a short stint on the fiddle, to the admiration of the crowd. At 4pm, young Seumas then effortlessly piped all the way along Harbour Street as he led the procession of this year's Am Bata boat to its launch site.
